Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Tasks	By : QueenB Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Snape Views: 5179 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter in anyway, shape or form. The rights of such belong solely to J.K Rowling. I do not make any money or accrue any monetary benefit on this story.

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
“…and after I answered the riddle of the Sphinx – which was very different from the one she asked Oedipus, by the way – I found the fabled library of Alexandria. And that’s how I got hold of this magical book of spells!” Hermione beamed.
The bushy-haired girl held up the book before laying it on the Head table. It looked rather unimpressive. It was slim with a brown coarse cover made out of bearskin. It was bound with two thick leather belts held by bronze clasps that looked only slightly worn – hardly what you would expect of something thousands of years old, as she’d claimed. All in all, a very nondescript-looking item.
“What’s so special about another spell book?” Pansy Parkinson yawned. She had brought in a magical black globe that would answer truthfully any question that was put to it. As it was suspected she’d merely dug this out of her parents’s vault at Gringotts rather than go on an epic search, her entry had been greeted only with polite applause from the other houses.
“You don’t understand. This is THE book of spells, that one that holds every spell in the world.”
The tables buzzed as they absorbed this new information. The Ravenclaws were particularly interested. Such an item would be akin to having Rowena Ravenclaw’s long-lost diadem of knowledge. “How can any one book hold every spell in the world?” Cho Chang asked, skepticism clear in her dark eyes.
“Watch this!” Fairly vibrating with excitement, Hermione tapped the book with her finger and cried, “Alohomora!”
The book flew open, its sheets riffling, far more pages than the size of it indicated, and settled open on one page. The Headmaster leaned over the book and peered at it through his spectacles. “Yes, the spell is listed here, along with a detailed description of what it does.”
“Wingardium Leviosa!” “Duro!” “Petrificus Totalis!” Hermione cried out spell after spell, including a few the students and teachers had never heard of before. She’d learned a lot on her travels, it seemed. Each time, the book fell open to the relevant passage with all the pertinent information. “And it doesn’t matter if a new spell is invented. It automatically shows up in this book!”
“This is truly magnificent, Miss Granger. A worthy and highly useful find,” the Headmaster beamed. “You and Mr. Weasley have come back with splendid trophies as entries from your house. Mr. Weasley has the legendary Excalibur and you the spell book of all spell books. Well done, indeed.
“However, other students have brought back items equally extraordinary. It seems that we must put this to a vote before coming to a decision.”
“Wait!” Cedric cried. “What about Harry’s entry?”
All eyes turned towards the green-eyed student seated quietly at the Gryffindor table. After greeting his friends and taking back his Cloak from Ron, he’d been very quiet. He’d waved each Gryffindor student forward, claiming that he wanted to see what he or she had brought. With each entry, he’d gotten more and more subdued.
Well, there wasn’t any use trying to put this off any longer. He stood, squared his shoulders and marched to the front. Some of what the others had brought were truly brilliant. And King Arthur’s sword! He hadn’t been sure it really existed but here it was, laid out on the table with the other items. He wasn’t sure he could top that.
Harry shuffled from foot to foot, feeling every eye on him. “Well, I went to find this princess ‘cause I was told she was being held captive by this sorcerer…”
He heard a low but very familiar snort coming from his left and shot a glare at the empty air. Professor McGonagall’s eyebrows lifted quizzically behind her square spectacles. She wondered what Harry was looking at.
“Only there was no captive princess. It was a mistake, you see, and…oh sod it,” he muttered under his breath. “I found a Dark Arts sorcerer instead. Everybody, meet Severus Snape, formerly DADA teacher at Durmstrang,” and with a wave of his wand, Snape emerged from his invisibility.
Stunned silence. Then there was bedlam as the sorcerer crossed his arms and glowered at the nearest table. Snape could be very threatening when he chose and he was bringing all of his chilling personality to bear. A few first years squeaked in alarm and cowered away from his baleful stare.
“Severus? It’s truly you?” came the gentle voice.
Severus turned towards the speaker. “How do you do, Headmaster? It has been a long time,” he said soberly.
Dumbledore beamed, his blue eyes twinkling in delight. “Severus, my dear boy. It is good to see you after all these years!”
Harry tried not to gape but he wasn’t sure he succeeded. Severus had told him he’d been a student at Hogwarts. But it was still a shock to see Dumbledore greeting his lover so familiarly.
Shrewd blue eyes flicked over them both before reverting to bland curiosity. “And how did you manage to catch someone so experienced in the Dark Arts, Harry? That must be quite a story.”
Pressed for details, Harry recounted how he’d met Severus, defeated and captured him, omitting and altering certain details, of course. Dumbledore questioned him in particular about the elder wand he’d taken from Severus and the items Harry had claimed as rewards. Harry told him but didn’t see why the Headmaster should be interested, especially since two of the items were lost forever, but he answered with the carefully prepared story he’d discussed with Severus during their private time together.
Dumbledore turned towards the other teachers and conferred with them in low tones. He pulled back after a few minutes. “In view of this development, we all agree that the 200 points should be awarded to Gryffindor.”
A roar went up from the table as Gryffindors cheered and other houses clapped politely. The Slytherins didn’t look at all happy and refrained from any applause. But Harry noticed more than a few of them pointing at Severus and whispering to each other.
The Headmaster held up his hands again. “According to Harry, this man hadn’t actually committed any crime. It was all a misunderstanding. So, Severus my boy, you are free to leave us at any time you wish. I know you must miss your home.”
Harry went pale. He hadn’t thought about Severus having to leave before now; they’d never discussed parting during all the remaining sultry days of summer that they’d spent idling in Hagrid’s hut. Now that the moment of parting was upon him, he wanted to cry out to Severus not to leave.
But he couldn’t do that. He was helpless to do anything but watch his lover stalk from the Great Hall and depart without giving Harry so much as a backwards glance.
Harry couldn’t remember much after that. Couldn’t remember walking back to his seat, hearing the congratulations of his housemates or the questions from Ron and Hermione. He must have made some satisfactory response because they quieted down eventually and dug into the food.
__________
It wasn’t until a week later that Harry received his first owl message from Severus.
I hope you are keeping abreast of your studies, Harry. I expect to hear weekly reports from you about your progress. S.S.
His heart pounded. This didn’t seem like much. But coming from Severus it was the equivalent of wild protestations of love from someone else. He grabbed a paper and scribbled something back.
And so it continued throughout the school year, with each one eagerly awaiting messages from the other. There was nothing incriminating in any of the sorcerer’s communications; Severus was cautious in his words lest the notes fall into improper hands. But they were treasured by Harry nonetheless for they meant that he wasn’t forgotten.
__________
Harry took a deep breath as he crossed Severus’s wards. He had been admitted easily this time since Severus had added him to the wards. Where would he find the man at this hour?
Then he saw him. He was emerging from around the corner of his house, his face blank but his eyes warm and welcoming. Harry was getting closer, running before he even realized that he was in motion. Severus was running too although with a smooth loping glide that barely seemed hurried at all. Then they were in each other’s arms and, Merlin, how he’d forgotten what his lover felt like, how his hair smelled of potions and the herbal shampoo Severus favored.
They were kissing and that was a magic Harry had nearly forgotten as well. When their lips parted at last, Severus whispered, “I didn’t expect to see you so soon, Harry.”
He blinked. “You didn’t? But I kept telling you I’d return.”
“I expected you in the summer. It’s only spring now.”
Harry grinned. “Have you forgotten spring break, Severus? Besides, I was hoping I’d be in time to see if the hippogriffs had had their babies yet.”
“Babies?” Then the question seemed to register. “Ah. The eggs have not hatched yet. But I am expecting them to any day now,” he answered dryly.
The grin widened. “Brilliant!”
“If that’s the only reason you’re here, you might be disappointed.” Severus didn’t ask but Harry could hear the stiffness underneath the light comment.
He pulled Severus’s head down for another passionate kiss. He could tell he’d taken the other man by surprise, especially when he ground his thigh between Severus’s legs. When they parted, he murmured huskily, “I was also hoping we could get reacquainted.”
The lips twitched like a lost attempt to smile. “Getting reacquainted sounds agreeable. Perhaps over tea?”
Harry laughed out loud and they walked arm in arm back to the house.

THE END

Postscript: As for the fate of the Elder Wand, Gaunt’s ring and Harry’s Cloak, they would create problems and challenges of their own and lead Harry to a curious destiny.
But that is another story.
- 13
- 14
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Tasks